Seven days after Hull City dragged themselves out of the Championship's relegation zone with a 3-2 win away to QPR, Nigel Adkins leads his players back to the capital to face drop rivals Millwall with the chance to pull further clear of trouble.

Philip Buckingham’s prediction - Every reason confidence should be high against under-pressure Lions

The Den, old or new, has never been the most hospitable of venues to visit over the years but Hull City have every reason to be relishing their return trip to the capital.

Last weekend’s 3-2 victory over QPR illustrated a team on the rise. A drab defeat to Nottingham Forest two weeks ago ought to serve as a reminder of City’s limitations but there is no doubt this side has started to click into gear.

Eleven points from the last six games has lifted the Tigers from 23rd to 19th and now Nigel Adkins’ men have the chance to keep climbing in a run of fixtures against out-of-form sides.

Hull City fans will head back to the Den in January following this weekend's trip. (Image: Getty Images)

Millwall are certainly one of those. Neil Harris’ side are a shadow of the one that finished eighth in the Championship last season and five games without a win has seen the Lions take City’s place in the bottom three.

No-one ever has it easy at The Den – only three visitors have won there this season –but this feels as good a time as any to be South Bermondsey bound.

City are the team playing with increasing unity, while Millwall might just be feeling the first weight of pressure. The Tigers can shade this one.

Millwall 1 Hull City 2

Millwall team news

Neil Harris welcomes back Ryan Leonard from suspension for the visit of Hull City but injuries to his attacking line are causing plenty of headaches for the Millwall boss.

The Lions could feasibly be without all five senior forwards against the Tigers. Tom Bradshaw (knee) is already ruled out for the season, while Tom Elliott also missed last week’s trip to Bristol City with a hamstring injury.

Aiden O'Brien was stretchered off in that 1-1 draw at Ashton Gate, while Lee Gregory was also sidelined with a stomach muscle injury.

Gregory could be back fit to face City but veteran striker Steve Morison has been unable to train with a hamstring injury.

Steve Morison of Millwall (Image: Getty)

Midfielder Shaun Williams, who scored the equaliser last Sunday, is another doubt with ankle ligament damage. Leonard could be a direct replacement after serving his one-match ban for a red card in the 2-0 defeat to Birmingham.

Academy players Harry Donovan, James Brown and Lewis White have all been training with Millwall’s injury-hit squad.

Key Battle: Jake Cooper v Fraizer Campbell

After struggling to find the net on their travels, Hull City cannot stop scoring away from the KCOM Stadium all of a sudden. Seven have come in their last three games outside of East Yorkshire and three of those have come from Fraizer Campbell.

City’s top scorer struck decisive goals at Bolton and Birmingham and though he could not extend that streak at QPR, he was again the perfect foil for widemen Jarrod Bowen and Kamil Grosicki.

Fraizer Campbell of Hull City celebrates after scoring his team's opening goal against West Brom (Image: Focus)

Millwall are struggling at the back, keeping just one clean sheet in 18 games. Jake Cooper is the ever-present figure in the defence and much will rest upon his shoulders if City are to be kept at bay.

Cooper, who played for Reading during Nigel Adkins’ time in charge, has started every games this season for the struggling Lions.

Millwall overview

The days when Millwall were chasing the Championship’s top six through Spring have started to feel like a dim and distant memory down at The Den. Fortunes have dipped dramatically under Neil Harris this season and Hull City’s win away to QPR last time out was enough to drag the Lions down into the relegation zone.

Neil Harris, manager of Millwall (Image: Getty)

A side that finished eighth last season, just three points adrift of the top six, has never quite got going this time around. Three wins from four in October threatened to spark things into life but since just two points have been collected from five games.

At least they have remained strong on home soil. Fifteen of Millwall’s 18 points have come in South London and there will be an expectation to add to that tally against the Tigers. Harris knows the pressure is beginning to rise as the halfway mark of a laborious season approaches.

Betting

Millwall are in trouble after falling into the Championship’s relegation zone last weekend but the bookmakers are predicting Neil Harris’ side can find home comforts against Hull City. Unibet’s offering of 5/4 is as long as the odds get on Millwall finding three points, while the same firm offer an eyecatching 12/5 on the Tigers making it back-to-back wins in the capital.

These two clubs drew 0-0 when meeting at the Den last season and another share of the spoils is 9/4 with several firms. City have suddenly found their scoring boots on their travels and the 7/1 being offered by Coral for Nigel Adkins’ side to score three or more goals might be worth a few quid.

Jarrod Bowen, man of the moment at Loftus Road, will also have his supporters at 9/1 for first goal with Paddy Power. Fancy the longer odds? How about Jordy de Wijs to mark his return to the side by opening the scoring? BetVictor will give you 55/1.